Silent Baysox squeeze out split

After hitting .341 as a team in the previous 10 games, the Bowie Baysox ran into an offensive drought just in time for a doubleheader last night.

So, manager Don Buford decided that the squeeze play was the proper remedy and the Baysox salvaged a 2-1 victory in the nightcap after losing to the Binghamton Mets, 4-0.

"We weren't swinging the bats well, so we had to go to something else," said Buford. "We got the first squeeze man in all right and then tried to do it again for the winning run."

A crowd of 4,379 at Memorial Stadium watched the Baysox (31-20) fall behind Binghamton and pitcher Pete Walker, 1-0, in the second inning of the finale and by the fifth, Bowie had gone 15 1/3 innings without scoring, its second longest drought of the season.

But with the bases loaded and one out, Buford had No. 2 catcher Jimmy Roso bunt toward the first-base side to score pinch runner Jason Alstead.

Roso was the only catcher available with Gregg Zaun nursing a tender arm, so pinch hitting was out of the question.

An inning later, Walker walked two batters before Bryan Rogers relieved with one out. Alstead, whose five hits with the Baysox have all been bunts, laid down the ball. Catcher Javier Gonzalez fielded and in his indecision, wasted a chance to get Alstead at first, filling the bases.

That brought up Stanton Cameron, a slugger who strikes out frequently. That was no impediment to Buford, who had Cameron bunting on the second strike with T. R. Lewis, not a fast man, at third.

This one didn't work as Cameron missed the ball. He made amends, however, by hitting a line drive to medium-deep center field for a sacrifice fly and Lewis trotted home with the winning run.

That gave the victory to Rafael Chaves, the team's top closer who worked the final two innings in relief of Jim Dedrick -- who made his first start of the season and went five strong innings.

Joe Roa pitched a four-hitter for the league's last-place team in the opener and did not allow a Bowie runner to second base until Brent Miller doubled with two out in the bottom of the seventh.